An ever-increasing number of households keep a variety of domestic animals as house pets. One favorite house pet is the domestic cat. Domestic cats and related species (collectively known as “felines”) are, however, susceptible to a number of diseases, including diabetes mellitus (“sugar diabetes”), a common endocrine disorder. Over the years, improved nutrition and care have resulted in the extension of life expectancies for household pets, including felines. With increased age, felines, particularly overweight and female animals, become more susceptible to diabetes.
Diabetes is typically caused either by insufficient production of the hormone insulin by the pancreas (type 1 diabetes) or by inadequate response of the body's cells to insulin (type 2 diabetes). Since a diabetic cat is not able to utilize glucose properly, the cat will ultimately develop hyperglycemia e.g., high blood sugar levels and subsequent glucosuria (sugar in the urine). The glucosuria leads to polyuria (excessive urination) and polydipsia (excessive thirst). In spite of maintaining a good appetite, diabetic cats lose weight because the body's tissues are unable to utilize glucose properly.
Feline diabetes may result in a dangerous, sometimes fatal condition called ketoacidosis, indicated by loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, weakness, dehydration, and breathing abnormalities. Additionally, diabetes can lead to an unhealthy skin and coat, liver disease, and secondary bacterial infections. A diabetes-related disorder called diabetic neuropathy may cause cats to become progressively weaker, especially in the hind legs, impairing their ability to jump and causing them to walk with their hocks touching the ground. Progression of the disease ultimately leads to further metabolic disturbances including vomiting, loss of appetite, weakness, dehydration and death.
In the field of veterinarian medicine and treatment it is very important to have tests or indicators to promptly identify and treat ailments and diseases. It goes without saying that the animal cannot communicate most ailments, so it is important to be able to easily detect a malady such as diabetes as soon as possible. Due to the growing number of domestic cats that are kept as house pets, there is an increasing need for a simple means to enable the cat owner to detect the possibility of feline diabetes so that curative steps can be taken to avoid serious illness in the animal.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,382,132 to Steckel, issued May 7, 2002, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein for all purposes, describes an animal litter including a liquid absorbent aggregate impregnated with a litmus agent for indicating a urinary track infection in felines. The litmus material possesses an activity range from pH 6.6 to pH 8.0 as provided by, but not limited to, sodium phenolsulfonephthalein.